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Many different factors are involved in determining your ideal bra size, which can make measuring yourself to figure out your bra size very complicated. However, learning how to measure your own bra size at home with as much accuracy as possible gives you the power to make sure every bra you buy and wear fits you well.

It is unwise to rely on the sizes that employee fitters at lingerie shops and department stores assign you. While these recommendations can definitely point you in the right direction, you should treat them as a rough estimate rather than fact. Most professional fitters just hastily measure your bust over your shirt and current bra, resulting in measurements that are significantly skewed.

After all, the purpose of bras is to fit, support, and secure your bust. However, the size of your bust is not the only thing you need to consider. In reality, your bust size is just one factor that influences your ideal bra size.

The size of your bust determines what your bra cup size is and what cup letter you should wear, but a well-fitting bra fits your body as a whole. Measuring your band size correctly is key if you want to end up with a bra that fits comfortably and offers enough support and security for your best. The band of your bra is responsible for supplying the majority of the support your bra provides. Use a floppy measuring tape to measure the circumference of the area directly under your bust—where the band of your bra should rest.

Hold the tape snugly but comfortably against your skin. Holding it too loosely or too tightly will result in an incorrect measurement. Add four to the the number of inches you measure if the number is even—and five if the number is odd—to get your correct band size.

Your bra cup size is a combination between your bust size and your band size. Always measure your band size before measuring your cup size so that you know your band measurement and can compare it to your bust measurement to determine your ideal cup letter. Measure around the widest part of your bust—usually across the center of your nipples —using a soft measuring tape. Subtract this number from your band size. This difference corresponds to your cup letter. In the US sizing system, a one-inch difference is an A cup, two inches is a B cup, three inches is a C cup, four inches is a D cup, etc.

Remember to calculate the difference between your bust measurement and band measurement using your rounded-up band measurement, which is not necessarily the same number as your initial measurement. Bra size charts are a measurement tool that lays out the basics of bra sizes and how they correspond to certain band and bust measurements. They organize bust and band measurements into a comprehensive chart that matches these measurements with bra cup letters and band sizes.

These charts can be an extremely helpful resource for at home-bra measuring. You can also find bra size charts for sister sizes—bra sizes that are equivalent in cup volume but differ in cup letter and band size—which can help you determine which sizes to try if your measurements are in between sizes. Bra size calculators are another valuable tool that can help you determine your ideal bra size based on your at-home measurements.

These calculators allow you to enter your bust measurement and band measurement separately and assign you a bra size according to your entries. This saves you from the confusion of having to manipulate your raw measurements to calculate your ideal bra size by hand. Many online lingerie stores provide a bra size calculator that assigns you a size that is specific to the brands they sell. Bra size calculators are an especially helpful resource when it comes to calculating your bra size in a sizing system that is unfamiliar to you.

The US and UK bra sizing systems have subtle but significant differences between them. There are some important differences between using a US bra size calculators versus using a UK bra size calculator. US bra size calculators generally ask you to enter your measurements for bra cup sizes in inches, while UK calculators accept data for bra cup sizes in centimeters.

However, some more advanced bra size calculators—which are for free use online—allow you to decide whether or not you want to input your data in inches or centimeters as well as choose which sizing system you want your bra size to match. Few things are guaranteed in life, but you can pretty much count on the fact that your bra size will not stay exactly the same throughout your entire adult life.

This might seem excessive, but your bust size changes significantly in response to even the most subtle shifts in your body composition. Losing five pounds or taking up light weight-lifting at the gym can cause your cup size to change by a full letter. Larger changes in your body, like major weight loss, pregnancy, or menopause usually result in even more drastic shifts in size.

Learning to recognize the red flags of a hopelessly ill-fitting bra can cut uncertainty out of your bra shopping process and prevent you from accidentally buying an uncomfortable bra that lacks the support and security you need. The first things you should keep your eye out for when you try on a bra are gapping or wrinkled cups. The straps of a bra are a useful indicator of how well the band is supporting your bust. If the straps of a bra slip down over your shoulders or dent your skin, that means that the band of the bra is either too loose or too tight and is forcing the straps to pick up its slack in terms of support.

Your band should stay securely in place and its center—the part in between the cups—should lay flat against your chest at all times. Any new bra you buy should always fit you best when fastened on the loosest clasp. Bras stretch out naturally over time, so any bra that only fits you when you fasten it on the tightest clasp from the get-go will likely only end up fitting you for a very short period of time.

Have you ever tried on a bra in a store, loved it and brought it home, and then ended up hating the way it looks underneath every piece of clothing you own? Bras tend to look very different when you wear them alone versus when you wear them under a top; just because a bra fits when you try it on by itself does not mean it will still look good after you get dressed. A form-fitting—but not overly tight—T-shirt is one of the best test tops to wear when you go bra shopping.

T-shirts are one of the most difficult tops to pair with a bra. The thin, form-fitting fabric of standard tees tends to reveal bulges, gapping, seams, and dreaded quad-boob much more clearly than other top styles. The band or frame size is the firm circumference , fitted not tightly, measured directly underneath the breasts. While data collection methods between various sources is not consistent and these percentages may be inflated, incorrectly fitted bras are nonetheless a significant issue, evidenced by the number of studies, articles, and complaints surrounding the issues women face due to a lack of size standardization.

Studies have revealed that the most common mistake made by women when selecting a bra was to choose too large a back band and too small a cup. Part of the issue is the lack of standardization regarding band and cup sizes. These vary largely between countries, and even manufacturers, making it difficult to use these measures as anything more than an approximate fit.

A 34B bra from two different companies, for example, may not fit the same person because of this lack of standardization. Some signs of incorrectly fitted bras include the band digging into the torso or sliding upwards, red marks, shoulder or neck pain, the breasts overflowing around the edges of the bra, and the bra's center panel not lying flat against the breast, among others.